Minnis Fresco vs H&S Crispaire?

[Manton]

Originally Posted by Mr. Pink

I wore the 511 on Monday or Tuesday, one of our rare hot days, maybe 90 or 95 degrees. I was fine in it, but San Diego is not humid. If I were in NYC or Miami, I'd want something lighter.

It depends on your constitootion. I would have melted.

 

[Despos]

0511 seems pretty light weight and is considerably darker in color than 0500. 0500 seems too lightweight to me.

The old Crispaire book had a few cloths labeled as fresco but none of these are in the new book. Crispaire is just a plain or panama weave cloth.

Minnis fresco and some of the cloths in Smith Woollens Finmeresco book are more alike if you want an alternative.

 

[coolpapa]

I think I'm actually leaning towards the 512. I want a workhorse three season suit, and I already have a lighter grey sharkskin. Plus, I'm from Louisiana, so it's doubtful it will be too hot for me.

 

[Will]

Originally Posted by emptym

I've been trying to decide the same thing. And by PM have bugged the heck out of kind SF members like dopey, yfyf, and Parker, as well as the good folks at Chan who were kind enough to send me this pic comparing Minnis and Crispaire's lightest grays:

I like the Minnis generally better than the CrispAire but I can't recommend the 8 ounce, which is the weight of that gray. I have a pair of trousers in it and they bag.

 

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Manton

It depends on your constitootion. I would have melted.

I moved here from Miami. San Diego never seems that hot to me.

 

[emptym]

Originally Posted by forex

I plan to get a suit made in Minnis 0500 but it looks too light in your picture. I think Parker posted a pic of it and it looked little darker.
I'm not sure. But it does look like the colors may be washed out a bit due to a flash.

Originally Posted by taxgenius

Is one of them more porous/better for hot climate than the other ? How about price?
Almost everyone who has posted here seems to prefer the Minnis and finds it better for heat. But the Crispaire is loved by some of the guys in HK, where it's really hot. I believe the H&S is a bit more expensive.

Originally Posted by Slewfoot

I'm much more of a fan of Minnis than Crispaire. The Minnis has a coarser texture, but it's not itchy. The colors also appear more varied on the fabrics giving off a nice almost flannel like texture. The Crispaire (especially the new book) is a small step away from tropical worsted in terms of softness and texture which I find a turn off. I like a bit more guts in my fabric.
Oops, I forgot you in my list of people I bugged, D. Or did I only bug you irl? In any case, you, Manton, and Despos mention the Crispaire as having a smoother texture. I didn't notice much of a difference in my brief comparison of swatches. And in the pic I posted, the Crispaire looks like it may be less porous, but the threads look a little finer. So I'm confused. But you have whole pieces of cloth to you, so you're probably right. If only Chan had the light gray Smiths finmeresco, I'd have gone with that. It's nice that Minnis is so accommodating about sending swatches. I wish H&S sent out swatches. I emailed a request for them, but never heard back.

 

[poorsod]

There have been some complaints about the scratchiness of the Minnis fresco, so it might depend on your tolerance for such things. I've been scared off from making pants from fresco. I don't mind the compromise of Crispaire, sort of between fresco and tropical worsted.

 

[tim_horton]

Anyone have any comparison photos of the 0502 (dark grey) vs. the 0503 (oxford)?

 

[Bounder]

A couple of members have already provide me with some excellent feedback on this but can anyone compare and contrast the anti-wrinkle/crease resistance of these fabrics? I'm especially interested in the "mohair option" that Crispaire has. How does that compare with the Minnis?

 

[Mr. Pink]

Originally Posted by Bounder

A couple of members have already provide me with some excellent feedback on this but can anyone compare and contrast the anti-wrinkle/crease resistance of these fabrics? I'm especially interested in the "mohair option" that Crispaire has. How does that compare with the Minnis?

I have a mohair blend Blazer from the older "Crispaire Fresco" book. It's not any cooler than the Minnis. Might be slightly more wrinkle resistance but the difference is small. Because of the mohair, the fabric has less give and is less comfortable. For that reason, I wouldn't recommend it.

 

[Despos]

The mohair blend in the Crispaire is heavy and stiff. Made a tux with it once, didn't care for it. Too crisp.